In the school's ongoing efforts to seamlessly balance tradition with innovation, HB today unveiled a newly designed model classroom in the first floor west wing of the Classic Academic Center. The space—which is available for use by teachers and students in all academic disciplines and all school divisions—was designed with flexibility in mind.
A committee of educators, school administrators, and board members spent several months researching academic environment best practices, and they looked to forward-thinking secondary schools, colleges, universities, and top business firms for inspiration for the model classroom. The design not only honors the beautiful traditional architecture of the 1927 Walker & Weeks Classic Building, but it also highlights and integrates the latest technology, giving students and teachers the tools they need to stay on the cutting-edge of educational initiatives.
The model classroom is a bright and inviting space that encourages collaboration. All of the furnishings are easily movable, lending themselves to an endless array of configurations, vastly expanding the number and type of lessons, pedagogies, and activities that can be enacted. There is no clearly delineated front of the room, and whiteboard paint has been applied to the majority of the wall space for write-on, wipe-off capabilities. The room features several flat-screen touch monitors that connect to the internet and allow for real-time screen-sharing so that student and faculty devices may be displayed simultaneously. The space also is outfitted with energy-saving modern light fixtures and all-new flooring.
Early reports are that the model classroom is being received as an engaging, comfortable, and inspiring update to campus. Over the course of the next several months, faculty and students have been asked to share their feedback about the space and to offer their suggestions for enhancements and improvements. This feedback will help guide ongoing renovation and remodeling efforts related to academic spaces throughout the school.